Corthell v. Summit Thread Co.’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

4 federal appellate · 5 district · 12 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 22 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. ““There is no more settled rule of law applicable to actions based on contracts than that an agreement, in order to be binding, must be sufficiently definite to enable the Court to determine its exact meaning and fix exactly the legal liability of the parties. Indefiniteness may relate to the time of performance, the price to be paid, work to be done, property to be transferred, or other miscellaneous stipulations of the agreement. If the contract makes no statement as to the price to be paid, the law invokes the standard of reasonableness, and the fair value of the services or property is recoverable. If the terms of the agreement are uncertain as to price, but exclude the supposition that a reasonable price was intended, no contract can arise.””

   3 later decisions quote this exact passage
   e.g. Ault v. Pakulski · Geller v. Harris Baking Co.

2. “a reservation to either party of an unlimited right to determine the nature and extent of his performance renders his obligation too indefinite for legal enforcement, making it, as it is termed, merely illusory”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hodgkins v. New England Telephone Co.

3. “was to be interpreted in good faith on the basis of what is reasonable and intended, and not technically,”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. Hodgkins v. New England Telephone Co.